What do all these events have in
common? Well, at least to some extent, they all involve human suffering. And that's what
tragedy is all about.

Our primary objective in this
module is to understand the meaning of the word "tragedy" as it applies to literature.
We will find that--like so many other words--this one comes from ancient Greece. We will
also find that its literary meaning is quite different from its more general, popular
meaning and that in literature there is an important difference between
"tragedy" and "pathos."

A secondary objective is to
determine whether or not the term "tragedy" still applies. (Some critics and
writers claim that tragedy is impossible in the

It All Starts With
Aristotle

(That's Greek for "It
All Starts with Aristotle.")

Let's start with the ancient Greek
philosopher who first sat down and tried to define what had become a popular form of
writing during his time. Click on the book below to go to a page of definitions and then
scroll down to "Tragedy." Note, especially, the definitions of hubris
and hamartia; in fact, you might want to bookmark this site; it includes some
other information that could be helpful in your study of literature. When you have
finished looking at what Aristotle has to say, use your "Back" button to return
to this page:

Assessment: Aristotle's definition was based
mainly on Oedipus Rex, a play we will look at in more detail shortly. But first,
let's try a short quiz to see how his main points apply.

The URL for this page is
http://vccslitonline.cc.va.us/tragedy/defining.htm